Mt. Cook

This last weekend Luke, Dave, Eliza and I headed out to explore the Mt. Cook area. On the way to White Horse Hill Campsite, our car demolished four rabbits in less than two minutes. The rabbits kept jumping out in front of our car and staring at us like a deer in the headlights. We arrived at our campsite just before dark and set up camp. That night the stars were brighter than I have ever seen.

Our first day we hiked the Ball Hut Shelter Route along the Tasman Glacier. This was my first time ever seeing a glacier. I was amazed by how massive it was and how fast it was melting. We probably heard a piece break off about every five minutes. The majority of the glacier was covered in dirt, but we could see the layers of ice at the edge of the glacier and in the icebergs.







When we finally got up to Ball Hut, we decided to explore the ridge above the hut. We hiked up to a 300 ft. drop off that looked down into a huge valley. Standing on the edge was terrifying, but probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen. It was really beautiful to see all of the waterfalls that formed on the peaks of the glacial mountains.

That night we headed back to camp, made some dinner, and spent another couple of hours laying out and looking at the stars. We decided to get up for sunrise the next morning and do the Hooker Valley Track. About 10 minutes into our hike, we stopped at Mueller Lake and watched the  sunrise on Mt. Sefton for about 30 minutes.








The Hooker Valley Track is known to be the most scenic day walk in all of the South Island. This hike definitely lived up to its expectations! We crossed two, old suspended bridges and spent most of the hike following the Hooker River.










At Hooker Lake we spent some time taking it all in before the crowds showed up. We were so glad we got up early to experience the beauty alone. Despite the massive winds ripping through the valley, Eliza and I spent a good three hours lying on the rock beach skipping rocks. Once again, not a bad way to spend the day.

On the drive back home, we drove past three massive lakes that were some of the bluest water I have ever seen. Driving in New Zealand is absolutely amazing. You can drive for miles without seeing anyone. I am getting really excited for our mid-semester break when we hope to do a big loop around the South Island!

Queenstown

The day we drove to Queenstown was the most beautiful day I have seen so far in New Zealand. We left Friday morning around ten and headed out on our first road trip! It took us about 4 hours to get there and along the way we stopped at the famous fruit stand in Cromwell. After devouring all the free samples of yum yum plums and exotic dried fruit we got back on the road en route to Queenstown.

Driving into Queenstown was unreal. As we drove into town we overlooked Lake Wakatipu. It felt like a dream because we were all so excited to be on our first big weekend together. We drove straight to the trail head of Ben Lomond Mountain to get in what we thought was going to be a casual afternoon hike.

Along the way we saw our fair share of mountain goats. It felt like every time I looked up I was pulling my camera out to document the surreal views. We weren't sure how far we wanted to go at first, but once the peak came into sight we were determined to make it happen.

Three and a half hours later we were on the summit and feeling better than ever. Ben Lomond is the highest peak in the Queenstown area, and since the skies were clear, we could see for miles. To the northwest we could see the Southern Alps and to the southeast we could see Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown. At the summit there was a huge compass-type device that pointed out all the surrounding peaks. We stayed on the summit for about 30 minutes soaking in the views and taking the usual "look at me, I'm on the top of a mountain" shots then headed back down in attempts to beat the darkness.

Around 10:30 pm we finally got back to the car and headed straight to in infamous Fergburger. After the unexpected 7 hour hike, we were all famished and stoked to be at the best burger joint in New Zealand. We headed out to our campsite at Twelve Mile Delta, set up camp in the dark, and passed out.

The next morning we woke up just after our friend Luke, who happened to witness the most beautiful sunrise ever without waking us up! We did an early morning skinny dip in Lake Wakatipu and headed into Queenstown to see what kind of adventures we wanted to do.

We ended up splitting up into three groups so everyone could pick their poison. Three girls went luging down the side of a mountain, three other girls went canyoning, and I went mountain biking with the boys.












The trails were in the jungle right on the coast of Lake Wakatipu. The terrain was similar to a lot of stuff I had ridden in Crested Butte, but the views of the lake made these trails so unique. There were tons of wooden features throughout the maze of trails that the boys messed around on, and there were also a couple places we could ride down to the beach.





After a long 5 hours of mountain biking and sore legs from the day before, we all decided to head out to our next campsite at Moke Lake while it was still light out. Just 20 minutes on a small, windy dirt road popped us out into a valley that looked like the setting of Lion King. We blasted music with our heads out the windows the whole way there, and when we finally arrived we all just stood around in awe.

That night we made dinner on our one tiny stove and reminisced and imagined what it would be like if we all moved here one day. As of right now, we have a solid ten people with two cars (The Wee Beast and Peggy). Most of my friends  go to St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. Our weekend in Quenstown was a great start to all the future adventures we will have together!

After a good nights sleep we packed up camp and headed back into Queenstown to check out the shops and cafes. After just one weekend in this picturesque destination I realized I could definitely get used to this kind of life... good thing I'm here for another 4 months!

Life in Dunedin

I have been enjoying every minute of my time in Dunedin. The weather can be a bit unpredictable, but when the sun is out, everyone heads outside to explore the surrounding beaches, gardens, and trails.

Just a block from my flat is the Dunedin Botanic Gardens. Most days I will either go on a run through the labyrinth of trials or do my reading in the gardens during my lunch break.

When the weather is nice, most afternoons I have gone to the beach or gone on a short hike. St. Kilda/St. Clair beach is one of the more popular beaches for people to surf and hangout. The beaches are extremely clean and simple. The sand is extremely soft and the dramatic rock coastlines remind me a little bit of Kauai. There isn’t any development directly on any of the beaches, so it feels really nice to go to the beach and feel like you are in the middle of nowhere.

At Sandfly Bay, I saw my first penguin and also encountered some seals! Sandfly Bay was an amazing beach, and there were also sand dunes that extended for about a quarter mile from the coast.  We had tons of fun running down the sand dunes and taking pictures of the wildlife.

My favorite beach so far is definitely tunnel beach. The rock formations here are like nothing I have ever seen. The rounded sandstone point and the tunnels are so much fun to explore, and the water is so blue it's unreal. To get down to the beach, there is a man-made tunnel that is cut through the rock that opens up right onto the boulder filled beach. When the tide is low, you can traverse over to a small cave and look out at the ocean.

Along with all the fun day hikes and beach adventures around Dunedin, there is also a great nightlife and college town feel. We all went to our first rugby game at the stadium in Dunedin built for the Rugby World Cup last year. The fans were like nothing I had seen at any American sporting events. The student section was absolutely insane, and the Otago Highlanders won over Canterbury Crusaders, which made for a fun night in town afterwards!

Dunedin is also home to the steepest street in the World: Baldwin Street. One day our Kiwi host walked us up to the top of the street and also took us to Signal Hill to see a view of the city.

I have loved my day-to-day life going to school at the University of Otago. I live about a 2-minute walk from campus and my class schedule is perfect for a semester filled with activities. Having the car has opened so many doors to where we can go. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the semester brings my way!